We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sammi Price. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sammi below.
Sammi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
“Sammi Price Voice” distinguishes itself from the industry standard as it was created outside of convention. I started this company at the height of the pandemic March 2020, in the early evening in my childhood bedroom in a small town in Wisconsin. I made my first (terrible) voice reel on my cell phone as I didn’t even have a computer at the time. No connections, no capital, just visualization and countless hours of audio engineering tutorials on Youtube. Unlike the common practice of conforming to established norms and rules within the entertainment industry, “Sammi Price Voice” focuses on empowering individuals to embrace their unique individuality within the voiceover and performance world. This approach has grown to challenge the prevalent notion of adhering to traditional methods and encourages a path that aligns with personal values and aspirations, breaking free from the constraints of conformity.
Over the years persevering through trial and error, “Sammi Price Voice” has grown to provide voice overs for multi-million dollar companies and mainstream media, being rooted in the mission to encourage advocacy and acceptance through all work. My many years of prior day jobs in the New York City restaurant scene gave me the understanding and capacity to build a client base through customer service excellence, all while navigating challenges and setbacks for an exceptional outcome.
Offering fully mastered voiceovers and commercial writing services to global enterprises, I simultaneously coach independent voiceover artists, guiding them in establishing home studios, perfecting their demo reels, and nurturing their creative journeys. The era of passively waiting for casting decisions is long past; now, individuals have the power to shape their own career success. As a queer advocate and drag king “Sammi Hands”, as well as an abstract performance artist, I encourage everyone to embrace their innate uniqueness. This approach to building a successful career outside the realm of traditional structures is a departure from the standard industry route that often emphasizes connections and established pathways.
In essence, “Sammi Price Voice” deviates from the industry norm by advocating for authenticity, individuality, and resilience, and by demonstrating that success can be achieved through resourcefulness, determination, and the courage to challenge convention.
Sammi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
This is a new world. We witness rapid technological advancements and changes every day. While it may seem daunting, particularly artificial intelligence, these very transformations present exciting opportunities for us to shape the lives we desire. The idea of thinking outside the box can be intimidating, as it involves taking risks. Yet, some of life’s most exhilarating adventures come from embracing these risks. Despite the constraints of our modern society, it remains entirely feasible to create a personalized niche career and life that aligns with our happiness. All it takes is reflecting upon the fundamental question: “What makes me happy?”
Within the entertainment industry, we are often asked to conform from day one. I did years of this, trying to be the makeshift model of what I was told agencies and production companies wanted. The day came where I was sick of putting on a persona, sick of cold-emailing agents to “please sign me”, sick of asking to be invited into the room, time and time again.
I built my own room. Nail by nail, inch by inch. You can do it too. It was in the humble setting of my childhood bedroom at my parent’s house in Wisconsin that I crafted my very first voiceover reel. This creative endeavor took place at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, and admittedly, it was not my best work. Pieced together using only an old iPhone and the free version of iMovie, it was far from perfect. Nevertheless, it marked the start of my journey.
Fueled by passion and a desire to improve, I signed up on freelance platforms for independent voiceover artists and spent countless hours learning audio engineering from free online resources. Financially strapped and with no capital or connections, I even found myself without an apartment in New York City after losing my day job due to the pandemic. I am the walking example that you do not need to come from a silver spoon to discover a fulfilling career.
As the years went by, I steadily built up my company, Sammi Price Voice, learning through trial and error the essential strategies for success in this competitive industry. Returning to my beloved city, New York, my previous customer service skills from waitressing proved invaluable in attracting and maintaining clients of high stature. This allowed me to bid farewell to day jobs and solely focus on my career through my company. This newfound freedom also granted me the opportunity to continue my passion of theater performance, as well leading me to venture into the world of drag, as Drag King “Sammi Hands”, performing at venues such as Stonewall Inn and various other locations across New York City. I am a board member for “AveqMoi”, a New York City collective uniting marginalized genders in queer nightlife and also voice meditations for “WeeMediate”, providing inclusive meditations for children.
My thirst for growth and artistic exploration led me to study at the Marina Abramovic Institute in Greece, inspiring the launch of a 7-year performance art series with upcoming showings in the following months, including the piece “A.I. Stole My Job”. My unconventional creative path allows me to connect deeply from a place of understanding and love to clients, as well as with the independent voice artists I coach.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I was told we needed to fit into a certain box within the entertainment industry. We are either the ‘girl next door’, ‘the funny one’, ‘the young one’, ‘the old one’. It was only once I embraced the truth of who I was did I find the deepest level of acceptance within myself and success in my field.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
People want to be heard. All of us want to be in an environment, working or otherwise, that we feel accepted and heard and encouraged to takes risks and even fail. I think we often forget that we are all just flesh blobs bopping around this earth, doing the best we can. Human kindness goes farther than anything. I encourage all clients to share their visions fully, and I show up repeatedly and reliably to make sure we amplify their vision to a place that brings them deep joy and fulfillment. Whether this is going back and forth with revisions to make sure we nail the exact tone you need in your commercial, or checking in with my coaching students for accountability encouragement, I am always here and make sure my clients know it.
In this world of technology and artificial intelligence, no one can take away human connection. It is why art will always exist. Vulnerability is strength, kindness is key. As we navigate this ever-changing technological world, it’s imperative to cultivate growth, embrace adaptation, and leverage technology as a means to forge profound connections with clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sammiprice.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammi___price/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sammipricepoet/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sammiprice5087/videos
- Other: https://www.fiverr.com/sammipricevoice